2.47 The Only Way Out

47 – The Only Way Out

“Well, to put it bluntly, yes, Balus needs to die,” Gladia said, glancing from Hector to Iris. For the first time, Hector noted a little tension there. Maybe she’s not sure of the girl’s loyalties.

//I’ll remind you Iris Sparling is a girl in appearance only.//

Right. Thanks, Evie.

Gladia turned back to Hector. “We don’t have what it would take to assault the ship, even with Lux in the rift. Balus has the local Guard installation to draw from, and he has his own security forces aboard. My soldiers are all either dead or in the brig. I’ve got exactly two security officers here, and Iris has one. That said, I—”

Hector waved away her objections. “I just need some help from your ship’s AI. I’m sure you’ve got a backdoor—a command code.”

“Well…” She turned, staring at the floor as she clutched Freddy’s neurodeck. It was obvious she was trying to play out every angle, trying to imagine every possible outcome. Hector could understand her hesitation; if she gave him her command codes, there wasn’t much of a limit to the damage he could do aboard her ship. He could destroy it, steal it, or even hand it over to Balus.

“Gladia, you can put a little trust in me, like Freddy did, or you can wait a few days until your cousin finishes walling off your AI and gets full control.” He didn’t know for sure what it was, but Hector had a feeling there was a good reason Balus was trying to get control of Gladia’s ship—something beyond the simple material value.

She took another few seconds to open her hand and stare at her son’s neurodeck, then she nodded. “Fine. I’ll give you the codes. We have to move quickly, though. Flint reported another team arriving at the ship earlier today. He saw an immersion rig being unloaded so—”

“A netjacker. Your AI’s time is running out.”

“Are you certain you can get in?” Iris asked, glancing from Hector to Sass. “I imagine there will be more security than we have here.”

“Leave it to me.” Hector looked toward the hallway where Gladia’s guard had gone. “I want to see Lemon before I go. But…” He looked down at himself.

“You should get cleaned up,” Iris said, standing. “Come, Hector; I’ll show you to a room, and I’m sure we’ve got some spare fatigues around here that’ll fit you.”

Hector started after her, but paused, looking at Sass. “You good?”

“Um, yeah. I’ll just go hang out with Lemon and the others.”

“Get our stuff out of the car.”

“I’ll send Gil to help her,” Gladia said, but she sounded tense, and when she turned to Hector, she was back on the topic of her cousin. “You know, if Balus feels threatened at all, he’ll call Lux out of the rift.”

Iris, still waiting for Hector to follow her, looked at Gladia. “How? There’s no way to run comms through—” She snapped her fingers. “Oh! He’ll just message one of his men at the rift and they’ll go through to alert Lux.”

“Right,” Hector said. “I guess…” He shrugged. “I guess you better tell Flint to be ready.”

Gladia stared at him for several seconds, then she shook her head. “I don’t think Flint’s at that level. I’ve seen Lux—”

Hector, feeling agitated by his impatience to act, cut her off. “All the more reason for us to get moving. I need you two to find a way to get me as close to that ship as possible. I’m going after Balus tonight.”

Iris gestured for him to follow, and when they were in the hallway, she looked over her shoulder at him. “Are we going to mention that you’re taller? That you somehow had time to get a shine-job on your teeth?”

“No.”

“Hmm.” She sounded more than a little irritated. “You know, all this stuff with House Ventress—it’s possible it might throw a wrench in our plans for the Games.”

Hector followed her around a corner and then said, “I’m not sure we had plans.”

“Well, that may be true, but I think you were coming around. Anyway, I hope we can get past this…” Iris trailed off as she came to a large double door. “I’m afraid I’ve already assigned the guest rooms to others. You can use my shower.” She touched a recessed panel, and something beeped. The door clicked, and she pushed it open, revealing a bedroom that belonged in an upscale hotel.

Hector didn’t bother taking it in; with any luck, he’d be on his way in minutes and Iris’s safe-house would be in his rearview. He focused on the illuminated doorway across from the spacious bed. He could see tile counters. “Thanks.”

“Wait.” Iris tried to grab the sleeve of his windbreaker, but it was taut against the skin of his biceps and slipped from her grasp. Even so, Hector stopped and waited as she pushed the door closed with a click. “How well do you know Gladia?”

“Not at all. I know her son, though. We’ve bled together—buried friends together.”

“Well, Gladia’s not Frederick. She’s been playing the game a long, long time. Just…just be careful.”

Hector nodded, searching her sky-blue eyes for a hint of duplicity. He didn’t see anything but genuine concern, though he supposed that was easy enough to fake when you were worried about yourself. Even so, he nodded and said, “Always.”

“And I meant it—about the Games, about working together. If we can get out of this mess. If we can—”

“I’ll keep it in mind, Iris, but right now we’ve got bigger—”

“Fish to fry?” She smirked. “You’re definitely older than that skin.”

“No shit.”

Her smirk softened to a smile, and she nodded toward the bathroom. “Go ahead. I’ll put some clean clothes on the bed.”

A few minutes later, Hector was standing under several powerful jets of steaming water, hardly able to believe how good it felt. As he soaked it in, allowing the shifting water streams to scrub him clean, he thought about what he’d say to Lemon, or, more to the point, how he was eager to see her. He’d missed her, despite having been rather busy trying to survive.

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There’d been plenty of long, quiet hours while he’d stalked his way through the rift or waited for his system to perform updates. In those muted moments, his thoughts had turned again and again to Sass and Lemon—even Kit. He’d grown attached, whether he liked it or not. He’d come to terms with it; he’d admitted to Evie already that he cared about what happened to them—that he was responsible for more than just vengeance in this new life of his.

He clenched his fists, tilting his head so one of the jets could blast the inside of his ear. You’re an idiot. You’ve always been like this.

//Are you thinking about the Contis? About your old team?//

A character flaw—the result of an absent father and a mother who had to work double shifts for most of my childhood.

//Caring about people isn’t a flaw.//

Tell that to my enemies.

He applied another layer of soap, his mind drifting back to the conversation with Iris and Gladia. A thought struck him, and he chuckled. Thank the fates for Orin and Freddy.

//You’re wondering if there’s some reason so many of the people depending on you are women?//

“I didn’t choose them,” he growled. “Iris is here because of her father. Gladia is tied to Freddy. Grando put Lemon with me—it’s just damn luck.”

//And Sass?//

Leave her out of it. Hector smiled at his own absurdity as he twisted the knob, stopping the flow of water. He could have stayed in the shower all night, but there was work to do. He dried off and gave himself a good once-over in the mirror. It was the first time he’d gotten a clear view of his—Is it mine?—body since the rift, and he could see why he’d gotten some double takes.

His shoulders were broader, he was a little taller, but more than that, he just looked more substantial, more menacing. He grimaced at himself and arched an eyebrow at the gleaming snarl his reflection presented. His teeth weren’t as shiny as the chrome jobs that came in and out of style; they still looked like teeth, but there was no denying their metallic sheen. “It’s fine,” he murmured. “Hardly noticeable.”

For once, Evie held her opinion to herself.

In the bedroom, he found a pair of briefs and a suit of generic, black corpo-sec fatigues. He got dressed immediately, tugging on the cargo-style, smart-fabric pants that adjusted at the ankles and waist. The shirt was made of the same material, and it felt good to wear clean, whole clothes that actually fit. Iris had also come through with some boots that were a close match to the ones he’d worn through the rift. His old clothing was gone—probably taken to an incinerator.

He’d just pulled on the second boot when a hesitant knock sounded at the door and a familiar voice asked, “Hector?”

He stood and hurried over, grabbing the latch and pulling the door wide. Lemon stood there, and though he’d really only been gone ten days or so, it felt like he was seeing her after a years-long voyage. “Lemon,” he said, his voice a little hoarse.

“I was scared to believe,” she whispered. She lifted her arms, like she might try to hug him, but then she hesitated and let them fall to her sides.

“Hey…” He paused, confused by her hesitation. Not that they were romantic, but she’d never held back with shows of affection. It struck him that he might have taken her hugs for granted. “I, uh—do I look like a monster?” The words just came out, and he clenched his fists in frustration. “My head’s all messed up—”

“N-no! Hector, you look better than I’d feared. Sass told me you’d changed, but…” She reached up, using her fingertips to push some damp black hair away from his eyes. “I can see you in there. You’re just a little bigger, and frankly, you needed that. With your attitude…” She trailed off, smiling at some memory. “Remember your first day? When we walked through Pete’s gym?”

Hector grunted softly, nodding. “Ghost walking. Anyway, how are you holding up? How’s the kid?”

Lemon’s smile faltered. “Inexplicably, he’s fine. I guess, well, his life hasn’t been easy, and he’s always been a little withdrawn, so it’s hard to tell, but he seems just…fine. He’s playing a game with Orin right now.”

“Good. Orin’s all right?”

“A little stir-crazy. A little freaked out about being cut off—not knowing what’s going on. He’s tough, though.”

Hector grunted his agreement.

Lemon sniffed, peering up at him. Her straight, pale-blonde bangs partially hid her eyes, and she smoothed them away, growling. “I’m trying to grow these out.”

“Yeah.” Hector knew that; she’d been doing it before he went into the rift.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, Hector. I really am. But…but I don’t know what’s going to happen to us. It feels like I’ve lost control of…everything.” She glanced down the hallway, then whispered, “Do…do you know about Gladia?”

Hector took hold of her upper arm and pulled her into the bedroom. He pushed the door closed, then whispered, “Probably should expect to be listened to in this house. Anyway, I know enough, and the rest I can guess.”

Lemon nodded. “Just tell me you aren’t going to leave us again. Tell me you have a way out for us.”

“I…” Hector frowned, shaking his head. “Lemon, the only way out is through. I’ve got to deal with the asshole who got this whole hornet’s nest stirred up.”

“Hornets?”

Hector shook his head. “Insects on Earth. I know you grew up on Mars, but don’t the Imperial schools teach that kind of thing?”

She frowned. “I wasn’t the best student.”

“Anyway, I’ve got to deal with the guy who’s behind the attack on Freddy—Gladia’s kid.”

“The cousin who attacked the rift? The one blaming Gladia? She told me about him…” Lemon leaned back, folding her arms in a way that made it look like she was hugging herself.

Hector wanted to comfort her—he had an urge to hold her—but instead he reached for the door and said, “I’m glad you’re okay, Lemon. I won’t be gone long.”

Moisture filled her eyes, and she looked down. “Don’t say things like that!”

“Like what?”

“It’s just—you can’t be sure! Don’t act like you know!” Finally something broke in her and she stopped hugging herself and pressed herself against him, clutching the sides of his shirt. She sniffed, and the way she trembled told Hector she was crying.

“Come on, Lemon,” he said, holding her, stroking her impossibly soft, fine hair. “You’re stronger than this. You don’t need me. Everything’s still in place for the dead-man protocols. You’ll get my bit-vault and—”

“I don’t want you to die, Hector!”

“Yeah.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I know you don’t. I don’t plan to. Just remember who you are. You’re the savvy doll who used to have Grando Scrim wrapped around her finger. You’re Kit’s big sister. Think about him; you’ve got to make it through to the other side of this, no matter what, okay?”

She sniffed again, still pressing against him. She was warm and soft against him, and holding her made Hector question all of his convictions. “Do you ever wonder?” she asked.

“Wonder what?”

“Why—” She sniffed, pushing against him so she could look up through watery, red eyes at him. “You know how people talk about dimensions and universes? How they say the rifts are a bridge between them?”

Hector’s mouth curled up on one side in a crooked smile. The hell is this coming from? Playing along, he nodded. “Sure, I do…”

“Do you think…do you think that in one of those dimensions, you and I—do you think we might have been happy together?”

“Ah, fates, Lemon!” Hector pulled her back into a hug. “I’m happy with you now. I’ve lived through some terrible stuff in my life, and I don’t mean just this one. When half your life is hell, you learn to savor moments like…like we had back in your apartment—when you made that Sunday roast. Or, hell, all the nice times we shared in that little rental villa. You’ve made me happy already. You’ve given me a reason to consider life instead of just blind vengeance.” He pressed his face into her hair, hugging her more tightly, and she sobbed like he’d opened the floodgates.

“I’m stupid!” she said, trying to stifle her sobs. “I think…I think I’ve just been bottling things up since…since the rift.”

“Nah, you’re the furthest thing from stupid.” Hector continued to hug her, continued to stroke her hair. All he could think about was how badly he’d misjudged things. He’d been so concerned with his own growing attachment that he hadn’t considered Lemon’s. Softly, he said, “Listen. Let me deal with this Ventress bastard tonight. I want you and Sass to stick together, okay?”

“Hector! Are you coming back or not?”

“Not that I’m not coming back,” he said, chuckling. “But I just feel better knowing you’re together. I think we can trust Gladia and Iris for now.” He leaned close, putting his lips just a centimeter from her ear, and whispered, “Gladia owes me. Her kid’s alive thanks to me, and he’ll have my back.”

Lemon nodded, inhaling a deep, shaky breath. “Angels! I feel so dumb. I’m sorry I lost it like that.”

Hector shook his head. “Never apologize for being you.” He gestured to the door. “Now, are you ready to face the others? Let’s see if Gladia’s found a way for me to get close to her ship.”